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On Center and High score

Here and now

During the tumultuous years of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2023), uncertainty and change permeated our lives. Lockdowns, travel restrictions, and lingering symptoms (the disease had caught up with me in June 2022) constrained our mobility. Anxiety, dis- and misinformation, and overwhelming uncertainty weighed heavily on many of us.

Amidst this chaotic backdrop, I sought solid ground. It struck me that the best starting point was right there and then, anchored in my age and location at the time.

Two distinct yet interconnected works emerged: Center and High score â€” both explorations of the here and now through algorithms.

Points and lines

Center

Center consists of a set of walks involving a center, a time duration and the cardinal directions, following this algorithm:

Choose a starting point and a duration.
Walk north from the starting point in as straight a line as possible.
Stop after the set duration and mark the furthest point.
Return to the starting point.
Repeat for the other cardinal directions (east, south, west).
Option: repeat for each ordinal direction (northeast, southeast, southwest, northwest).
Log the location, duration and dates.

The algorithm seeks stability in a chaotic world through walking â€” repeatedly moving away and returning to the same spot in a soothing rhythm. Going and coming back.

While the mental image resembles a compass with straight lines, the reality is that these walks follow existing streets and paths, rarely forming perfectly straight lines.

Circumference

Connecting the end points of these walks creates a border, a circumference of the starting point. Beyond this perimeter lies the unknown.

Imagine the fog of war, a concept from strategy games, where unexplored areas remain invisible until we step into them. Center becomes a real-life reconnaissance mission, an endeavour to lift the fog of war.

High score

The High score algorithm is elegantly simple:

Calculate your age in days.
Maintain a list of the five highest numbers, in descending order.

I mark a point in time with a number based on my age. Of course the latest calculation becomes the new top score, so I’m perpetually winning at life.

Yet, it’s a bittersweet celebration. I’ve never been this old, and I’ll never again be this young.

We’ll all flatline at some point.

Time, like an arrow, propels us forward. It’s a one-way street. Staying with the computer game analogies, imagine moving your character to the right on the screen. The screen scrolls along. Not so when trying to backtrack to the left. The screen stubbornly resists.

Space and time

Extend the concepts of ‘here’ and ‘now’, and we arrive at ‘space’ and ‘time’. Living through this delicate fabric defines the circumference of our lives. It’s infinitisemal and fleeting. The thought leaves us with a sense of wonder and awe… and maybe a touch of brain fog.